Simeon All Access | Smith on rulings: 'That's wrong'

Simeon's full lineup of players, eligible and ineligible, ran through drills in the practice gym Tuesday as the Wolverines tried to focus on one of the biggest games of the regular season.

Simeon coach Robert Smith said it was unfair to the players that transfers Donte Ingram, Jaycee Hillsman and Sean Moore were declared ineligible midseason. That the announcement came one day before No. 3 Simeon's meeting with No. 2 Morgan Park made it even more difficult.

All three reserves had been declared eligible by Chicago Public Schools at the beginning of the season, but their cases were recently reviewed — Ingram's by the Illinois High School Association and Hillsman's and Moore's by CPS.

"At the end of the day, they were ruled eligible, months ago," said Smith, who stated multiple times Simeon did nothing wrong in the cases. "…To come back in the middle of the season and rule some kids ineligible, that's wrong. But it's their rules, and we have to abide by their rules."

Smith said Ingram, a transfer from Danville, Hillsman, from Champaign St. Thomas More, and Moore, from Leo, were "still a part of the team." The three practiced Tuesday, though they sat out a little more than usual. Smith said afterward that the players and their families didn't wish to speak to anyone and that they wanted to focus on basketball.

"They feel like they were backstabbed," Smith said. "If that was people's intentions, they feel like they could have come out and said that in November. We're in the heart of our season, and to try to think they're going to tear something down when nobody did anything wrong is wrong.

"You have one kid over there that's a senior (Moore), and to wait until January, that's not fair to him."

While none of the three ineligible players was a starter, Simeon still loses help off its bench. Smith said he expects to see more from sophomore forward D.J. Williams, senior guard Rickey Norris and junior guard Bobby Harris in their absences.

Williams had a big game against Memphis Southwind on Saturday, when he made all three of his 3-point attempts. Harris, who Smith said provides defensive help, played in his first game Monday after sitting out the early season due to Smith's academic rules.

"It might do nothing but give us a little bit more motivation," Smith said of the ruling. "…Their spirits are down, of course. But we're going to try to bring them back up so we can be ready for our game (Wednesday)."

Colleen Kane's quick take: Simeon has put together three decent wins in a row, but the Wolverines need to overcome the distraction of their ineligible players quickly. Morgan Park and guards Kyle Davis and Billy Garrett Jr. will pounce on the opportunity for a leg up in the Red-South.